


The Nanny and the Gardener

by KaytheJay



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: F/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25071427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytheJay/pseuds/KaytheJay
Summary: Mrs. Dowling spends some time watching Nanny Ashtoreth and Brother Francis.
Relationships: Nanny Ashtoreth/Brother Francis (Good Omens)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 104





	The Nanny and the Gardener

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because I needed some more of the Dowlings in my life. It still somehow ended up revolved around Aziraphale and Crowley (in a way, though it is told from Mrs. Dowling's perspective) so that's really cool. I just can't escape them apparently. Oh well.

At first, Mrs. Dowling didn’t even notice it. It would have been almost stranger if the nanny and the gardener  _ didn’t  _ form some sort of friendship with how much time they spent together. That is just what tended to happen when working in close quarters with each other. 

She didn’t even find it strange when Miss Ashtoreth would force Warlock to play outside just so she could have a word with Brother Francis. She remembered the days back when she worked. She would have done  _ anything _ to have five minutes with her favorite coworkers. Besides, playing outside was good for Warlock anyway. Even if she didn’t like having all the dirt brought into the house.

She didn’t mind Miss Ashtoreth and Brother Francis’s relationship. Both of them did their jobs very well. The garden had never looked more beautiful than when Brother Francis worked on it. Warlock  _ adored  _ his nanny and was full of stories of games he would play with her or songs they would sing together. Mrs. Dowling could not think of a single bad thing about either one of them. 

At first, Mrs. Dowling didn’t even think that the pair’s relationship went beyond work. Ther pair were always strictly professional with each other. Never even poking fun or cracking jokes with each other. Just the two of them speaking of secrets, but keeping their focus on their jobs.

She appreciated it greatly. She and her husband couldn’t always be around for their son, so having a pair that she knew she could trust made her relax. Even if the two were slightly strange and seemed to be pushing some sort of weird agenda on Warlock. But they were doing the best work she could expect. 

It wasn’t until one late night after arriving home from a party did she even begin to suspect anything else was going on between the two.

***

“I don’t know, Crowley,” Brother Francis said. “The boy seems too  _ normal _ .” He seemed worried for some reason, though Mrs. Dowling couldn’t imagine why. She thought that having a normal child was a good thing.

“Well, that means its working.” Miss Ashtoreth replied though she didn’t sound so convinced. “Angel, trust me, nothing could have gone wrong that night.” When Mrs. Dowling walked into the room, Miss Ashtoreth had a hand over Brother Francis’s hand and was giving him a reassuring smile.

“Oh, hello Mrs. Dowling,” Brother Francis said upon noticing her. “I was just double-checking with Miss Ashtoreth that she didn’t need help with Warlock since my duties are done for the day.” Mrs. Dowling knew that this was a lie, but for some reason, she went along with it. She even forgot what led her to believe that it was a lie in the first place. Brother Francis smiled sweetly at her as he excused himself to go to his quarters and tuck in for the night. 

After that encounter, she began noticing the pair being more affectionate with each other. It started with Brother Francis pointing out that he’d started growing Miss Ashtoreth’s favorite flowers just because he knew they were her favorite. Miss Ashtoreth would respond with teaching Warlock the gavotte and other dances that Brother Francis seemed to be fond of. Mrs. Dowling even caught Brother Francis sneaking into Miss Ashtoreth’s room every once in a while. 

Somehow, as the pair grew more openly affectionate with each other, they got even better at their jobs. The garden grew a little greener, and Warlock was learning all sorts of fascinating things about the world. Sometimes he would explain concepts to her that she had never even heard of. She even grew more fond of her own husband, which seemed odd. What would the gardener and nanny falling in love have to do with her own relationship? She was sure it was a coincidence but some part of her refused to believe it. 

“Mom,” Warlock said one spring morning, “Are Nanny and Brother Francis married?” Mrs. Dowling shook her head.

“No dear,” She said.

“Are they going to get married?” 

“I don’t know,” Mrs. Dowling responded honestly. It seemed to her that Miss Ashtoreth and Brother Francis had a sort of history. Both claimed that they hadn’t known each other before they’d started working for the Dowlings, but she recognized the looks they gave each other.

They spoke of love. That much was obvious. But there was something deeper behind them too. Something that spoke of a great number of years. Years longer than they’d worked for the Dowlings. 

***

“Harriet, I think we need a new gardener and nanny,” Mr. Dowling said as soon as he walked inside.

“Why? They do a splendid job, the two of them.” 

“You can’t fire Nanny and Brother Francis!” Warlock protested. Mr. Dowling shook his head. 

“This is grown-up talk, stay out of it. In fact, why don’t you go to your room?” Warlock did as he was told. If Nanny had taught him anything, it was that you had to listen to those in authority or bad things would happen. 

“Now do you want to tell me why we are supposed to fire the best gardener we’ve ever had and Warlock’s beloved nanny?” 

“I just spotted them fully kissing each other. Right out in the open.” Mrs. Dowling rolled her eyes.

“The two of them are grown adults who can do as they please with their time off. As long as they don’t do it with Warlock around, which they have not, I am perfectly ok with it.” 

“But it’s unprofessional!” 

“No one is professional all of the time. Leave them be, Thaddeus.” Mr. Dowling sighed and shook his head.

“I don’t understand why you trust them so much. Especially Miss Ashtoreth.” 

And perhaps it didn’t fully make sense. Miss Ashtoreth’s lullabies did have some strange messages. Brother Francis cared for the plants in ways that should have killed them, not make them grow better. Perhaps Mrs. Dowling’s trust in the pair was the product of a series of miracles. Or, maybe, it just happened that she naturally liked their work. 

Either way, they were important to her son. Unprofessional relations or not. Warlock deserved everything that he wanted. For the moment, that meant this nanny and this gardener. Mrs. Dowling was quite alright with that. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hits and kudos mean the world to me. Comments fuel me into next week.   
> Find me on Tumblr @justanangelandhisdemon


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